Heavy Light

Heavy Light

A Journey Through Madness, Mania and Healing

Summary

'Deeply moving, darkly funny and hugely powerful' Robert Macfarlane

'A brave, lit-up account of going mad and getting better' Jeanette Winterson

After a lifetime of ups and downs, Horatio Clare was committed to hospital under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act. From hypomania in the Alps, to a complete breakdown and a locked ward in Wakefield, this is a gripping account of how the mind loses touch with reality, how we fall apart and how we may heal.

'One of the most brilliant travel writers of our day takes us now to that most challenging country, severe mental illness; and does so with such wit, warmth and humanity' Reverend Richard Coles

Reviews

  • A beautiful, unflinchingly honest book about madness, mania, parenting, surviving and, above all, love and its power to heal us
    Rachel Clarke, author of Dear Life and Breathtaking

About the author

Horatio Clare

Horatio Clare is the bestselling author of numerous books including the memoirs Running for the Hills and Truant and the travel books A Single Swallow, Down to the Sea in Ships, Orison for a Curlew, Icebreaker and The Light in the Dark. His books for children include Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot and Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds. Horatio's essays and reviews appear on BBC radio and in the Financial Times, the Observer and the Spectator, among other publications. He lives with his family in West Yorkshire.
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